Toughness and Togetherness

March 17, 2026

It has been quite a season for Navy basketball and it’s not over yet. On Wednesday, we will face Wake Forest, in the first round of the National Invitational Tournament. 

We're extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to compete in the NIT and represent the Naval Academy on a national stage. Anytime you get the chance to continue playing in March, it's a privilege.

I'm really proud of this team and the season they've put together. Our guys have shown tremendous resilience, work ethic and commitment to each other all year long. At a place like the Naval Academy, our players are balancing the demands of being elite student-athletes while also preparing to serve as officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.

What's been most impressive is their growth as a team. Their willingness to sacrifice for one another, defend at a high level, share the ball, and represent the Academy the right way is impressive. This group has competed with great toughness and togetherness, and they've built something we're really proud of.

We will need that toughness and togetherness, as we will face quite a challenge against the No. 1 seed in the Winston Salem Region. Wake Forest is a terrific program with great talent and athleticism. They compete in a tremendous league and present a lot of challenges on both ends of the floor.

Steve Forbes has done an excellent job, since taking over as the head coach. Over the past five seasons, his teams have more home wins in the ACC than Clemson, North Carolina and Virginia. The 73 victories at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum are second only to Duke’s 78 home wins, during the five-year stretch.

The Demon Deacons are led by sophomore guard Juke Harris who is third in the ACC in scoring and 16th nationally, averaging 21.3 points per game. This season he scored in double figures in all 33 games, which is a new school record. He became the third player in program history to tally more than 700 points in a season, which earned him the ACC’s Most Improved Player and a second-team All-ACC selection.

Wake Forest is very balanced. They have four players averaging 10 or more points per contest and just became the second team in ACC Tournament history to have seven players score ten or more points in the same game.

For us, the focus will be on playing the way we've played all season, that's defending, rebounding, sharing the ball, and competing with toughness for 40 minutes. It's a great opportunity for our team to go on the road and test ourselves against a really good opponent.

This is just second-ever appearance for the Naval Academy in the NIT, and the first in 64 years. It’s a credit to our entire team and a very special group of seniors.

This senior class means a lot to our program. They've invested four years in this team, this Academy, and into each other. They've been the architects of the culture we have today.

Two of our seniors were recently named finalists for the Lou Henson award, which is presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball.  It’s the first time a service academy has ever placed two players on the Lou Henson All-America team. Austin Benigni and Aidan Kehoe are very deserving of the honors, and both young men will tell you that their teammates share in the accolades. Togetherness!

All our seniors, Austin Benigni, Cam Cormany, Donovan Draper, Aidan Kehoe, Sam Krist, and Mike Woods have led with character, dedication and a team-first mentality, and we're excited to have another chance to go to battle with them. They have left the jersey in a better place.

At the Naval Academy, their journey doesn't end with basketball. It continues with their service to our country. This is a final opportunity to compete together, to keep growing, and to play for a National Championship.

Our guys love playing together, and they're excited for the chance to keep this season going.